Wet Willy Scotch Ale
New England Brewing Co.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Pours a lovely dark auburn color with an off white head that laces the glass. The smell is full of wood but also some sweet flavors such as plum and toasted brown sugar. The taste starts off sweet with molasses and some dark fruits but wasn't too syrupy and finished rather smooth and with a nice semi-sweet aftertaste. Would highly recommend for lovers of big flavor beers.

2009 Bottle. Extremely smooth and flavorful after all this time.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A: The beer is relatively clear amber in color and has a light amount of visible carbonation. It poured with a half finger high off white head.
S: Moderate aromas of toffee are present in the nose. The smell becomes stronger as the beer warms up.
T: Just like the smell, the taste is quite malty and is dominated by flavors of toffee. Some hints of caramel and faint bits of sweetness are also noticeable.
M: It feels medium-bodied and a little smooth on the palate with a moderate amount of carbonation.
O: This beer does a remarkable job at hiding its alcohol, but I would be content with sipping and favoring this as a dessert beer.

Serving type: bottle

 

 

I am sampling a 5 year old 12 oz bottle poured into a snifter at cellar temp. I bought these at the brewery and have had a couple of these over time, this is my last one, im hopeful for good things.
The beer pours a clear mahogany color with minimal beige head that fades very quickly to nothing during the sampling. There is just a little bit of brown sediment on the bottom of my glass.
Very sweet and malty nose with brown sugar, raisins, some vanilla, and still some warm fusol booziness. Even after all these years it still obviously packs some punch.

First sip reveals some brown sugar and caramel with a bit of dark fruit and a bit of vanilla mixed in on the finish. The flavors are generally sweet and actually cover the booze with no hints of the alcohol on the swallow or anywhere else.
Texture is very silky smooth and drinks very easy, with very fine carbonation that is gentle and caresses my palate. Beer goes down with no issues.
This brew is amazingly easy to drink for 10% and I wish I had stashed a few more bottles as they are probably just about perfect right now.

 

 

 

 

 

 

'11 vintage, extra'ed to me in a trade recently.

Pours fairly still, with a little bit of fizz on top, and no lacing. Looks kind of watery.

Smells weirdly flat, some caramel, toffee, but also booze, and some mild oxidation.

The oxidation feel gets much stronger in the flavor. There's a bitter flat cardboard flavor, and astringent alcohol that gets stronger as it warms up further. Beyond those distracting opening flavors, I also get some caramel, toffee, and peaty smokiness. But those flavors are flat and don't feature strongly enough. It's way too sweet, cloying even, and just doesn't work. I'm sure fresh that this one is much nicer.

It's sweet and syrupy, mouthfeel-wise, with a medium body, but it's a little thin for a beer of it's style and ABV. There's barely any carbonation.

This one is just too old. It hasn't held up well.

Bottle from '09 (cellared by Nikki's, purchased for $6).

A- Pours a clear amber color with a golden hue, a bit on the flat side without any head and not a lot of noticeable carbonation (3.5)

S- Aromas of dark fruits, plums, malts, light caramel, a bit of oxidation, gets better as it warms up (4)

T- Taste of sweet dark malts, plums, lightly syrupy caramel, butterscotch, and a bit of oxidation that blends well with the beer. Again opens up as it warms a bit, fairly tasty for it's age and lives up to the aroma (4.25)

M- A tiny bit light for the style, more carbonation then the appearance would lead you to believe with a little bit of a fizzy presence, fairly drinkable with just a mild boozy presence for 10%, just a very slight hint of syrupiness (4.25)

O- This was a nice beer for being 5 years old, I haven't had it fresh but I imagine it's right around it's peak right now but could maybe hold up for a couple more years. For $6 you can't go wrong, I may go back and pick up a couple more (4.25)